Vehicle dispatching system and vehicle dispatching method

ABSTRACT

The vehicle dispatching system accepts a dispatch request from a user, selects an autonomous vehicle matching with the dispatch request from among a plurality of autonomous vehicles, and dispatches a selected autonomous vehicle to the user. The plurality of autonomous vehicles include a plurality of battery-mounted vehicles having an in-vehicle battery capable of being charged externally as an energy source. Each of the plurality of battery-mounted vehicles performs charging at a charging station when a charging level of the in-vehicle battery decreases. The vehicle dispatching system comprises a management server including a processor for executing programs stored in memory, the management server programmed to act as a charging planning unit that changes an upper limit charging level of the in-vehicle battery when charging at the charging station according to a time slot.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2017-208400, filed on Oct. 27, 2017, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle dispatching system andvehicle dispatching method that accepts a dispatch request from a userand dispatches an autonomous vehicle to the user.

Background Art

A vehicle dispatching system in which an autonomous vehicle, a mobileterminal of a user and a server are connected through a network aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,547,307.

Now, generally, an electric vehicle having an in-vehicle battery as anenergy source is expected to be used as an autonomous vehicle for avehicle dispatching system. However, it takes time to charge thein-vehicle battery of the electric vehicle. If a charging level whencharging at a charging station is raised, a charging time becomes longerand thereby an operation rate of the autonomous vehicles goes lower. Tothe contrary, if the charging time is shortened, the charging levelbecomes lower and thereby a travelable distance of the autonomousvehicles becomes shorter.

Therefore, by merely simple use of the vehicle dispatching system, it ishard to raise the operation rate of the autonomous vehicles used fordispatching service and also prevent the battery shortage duringoperation.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure has been devised in view of such problems, and anobject of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle dispatchingsystem capable of raising the operation rate of the autonomous vehiclesused for dispatching service and preventing the battery shortage duringoperation. Another object is to provide a vehicle dispatching methodcapable of raising the operation rate of the autonomous vehicles usedfor dispatching service and preventing the battery shortage duringoperation.

A vehicle dispatching system according to the present disclosure is avehicle dispatching system that accepts a dispatch request from a user,selects an autonomous vehicle matching with the dispatch request fromamong a plurality of autonomous vehicles, and dispatches a selectedautonomous vehicle to the user. The plurality of autonomous vehiclesinclude a plurality of battery-mounted vehicles having an in-vehiclebattery capable of being charged externally as an energy source. Each ofthe plurality of battery-mounted vehicles performs charging at acharging station when a charging level of the in-vehicle batterydecreases. The vehicle dispatching system comprises a management serverincluding a processor for executing programs stored in memory, themanagement server programmed to act as a charging planning unit thatchanges an upper limit charging level of the in-vehicle battery whencharging at the charging station according to a time slot. According tothe above configuration, the vehicle dispatching system can cope with aride distance that changes depending on a time slot, by changing theupper limit charging level of the in-vehicle battery when charging atthe charging station according to the time slot. Thereby, the vehicleoperation rate is raised and the battery shortage during operation isprevented.

The charging planning unit may lower the upper limit charging level in atime slot that is predicted to have a large proportion of short-distanceusers, and may raise the upper limit charging level in a time slot thatis predicted to have a large proportion of long-distance users. Bylowering the upper limit charging level in the time slot that ispredicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users, thevehicle operation rate is raised. By raising the upper limit charginglevel in the time slot that is predicted to have a large proportion oflong-distance users, traveling a long distance becomes possible.

The charging planning unit may raise the upper limit charging level of apart of the plurality of battery-mounted vehicles in the time slot thatis predicted to have a large proportion of long-distance users. Thereby,even if a long-distance user appears in the time slot that is predictedto have a large proportion of short-distance users, a battery-mountedvehicle charged with a high upper limit charging level can be dispatchedto the long-distance user.

The management server may be programmed to further act as a dispatchingplanning unit. The dispatching planning unit dispatches abattery-mounted vehicle charged with a low upper limit charging levelpreferentially to a short-distance user, and dispatches abattery-mounted vehicle charged with a high upper limit charging levelto a long-distance user, in the time slot that is predicted to have alarge proportion of short-distance users, when ride distance informationis included in the dispatch request. Thereby, when a user gives adispatch request including information about his/her ride distance(e.g., getting-on place and destination) to the vehicle dispatchingsystem, the vehicle dispatching system can dispatch a vehicle matchingwith both a demand from the company side to want to raise the vehicleoperation rate and a demand from the user side about the ride distance,from among battery-mounted vehicles charged with a high upper limitcharging level and battery-mounted vehicles charged with a low upperlimit charging level.

In the above case, the dispatching planning unit may dispatch abattery-mounted vehicle charged with a low upper limit charging level inthe time slot that is predicted to have a large proportion ofshort-distance users, when the ride distance information is not includedin the dispatch request. This makes it unnecessary to prepare a lot ofbattery-mounted vehicles charged with a high upper limit charging level,and makes it possible to maintain the vehicle operation rate highly.

The plurality of battery-mounted vehicles used in the vehicledispatching system according to the present disclosure may be electricvehicles having the in-vehicle battery as an only energy source, thatis, pure electric vehicles. Also, the plurality of battery-mountedvehicles used in the vehicle dispatching system according to the presentdisclosure may be plug-in hybrid vehicles having the in-vehicle batteryand an energy source other than the in-vehicle battery. In the presentspecification, an electric vehicle means a pure electric vehicle, and aterm “battery-mounted vehicle” is used as a generic concept including“electric vehicle” and “plug-in hybrid vehicle”.

The plurality of battery-mounted vehicles used in the vehicledispatching system according to the present disclosure may includeelectric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles. That is, thebattery-mounted vehicles used for dispatching service may be organizedto include both electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles. In thiscase, for example, following embodiments may be adopted with referenceto dispatching plan.

According to one embodiment, the dispatching planning unit dispatches anelectric vehicle preferentially to a short-distance user, and dispatchesa plug-in hybrid vehicle to a long-distance user, in the time slot thatis predicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users, whenride distance information is included in the dispatch request. Thereby,when a user gives a dispatch request including information about his/herride distance (e.g., getting-on place and destination) to the vehicledispatching system, the vehicle dispatching system can dispatch avehicle matching with both a demand from the company side to want tosuppress the energy cost and a demand from the user side about the ridedistance, from among electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

In the above case, the dispatching planning unit may dispatch anelectric vehicle in the time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of short-distance users, when the ride distance informationis not included in the dispatch request. This makes it unnecessary toprepare a lot of plug-in hybrid vehicles, and makes it possible tosuppress the energy cost.

According to another embodiment, the dispatching planning unitdispatches an electric vehicle charged with a low upper limit charginglevel preferentially to a short-distance user, and dispatches anelectric vehicle charged with a high upper limit charging level or aplug-in hybrid vehicle to a long-distance user, in the time slot that ispredicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users, when ridedistance information is included in the dispatch request. Thereby, whena user gives a dispatch request including information about his/her ridedistance (e.g., getting-on place and destination) to the vehicledispatching system, the vehicle dispatching system can dispatch avehicle matching with both a demand from the company side to want toraise the vehicle operation rate and suppress the energy cost and ademand from the user side about the ride distance, from among electricvehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

In the above case, the dispatching planning unit may dispatch anelectric vehicle charged with a high upper limit charging levelpreferentially to a long-distance user when a ride distance of the useris shorter than a travelable distance by the in-vehicle battery, and maydispatch a plug-in hybrid vehicle to the long-distance user when theride distance of the user is longer than the travelable distance by thein-vehicle battery. According to this dispatching plan, an electricvehicle is used more preferentially than a plug-in hybrid vehicle. Thismakes it unnecessary to prepare a lot of plug-in hybrid vehicles, andmakes it possible to raise the vehicle operation rate and suppress theenergy cost.

Also, in the above case, the dispatching planning unit may dispatch anelectric vehicle charged with a low upper limit charging level in thetime slot that is predicted to have a large proportion of short-distanceusers, when the ride distance information is not included in thedispatch request. This makes it unnecessary to prepare a lot of electricvehicles charged with a high upper limit charging level, and also makesit unnecessary to prepare a lot of plug-in hybrid vehicles. Accordingly,it is possible to raise the vehicle operation rate and suppress theenergy cost.

The vehicle dispatching system according to the present disclosure maydesignate a charging method at the charging station to thebattery-mounted vehicles. For example, the vehicle dispatching systemusually directs the battery-mounted vehicles to perform normal chargingat the charging station, and, when the number of availablebattery-mounted vehicles is predicted to become insufficient due toincrease in dispatch demand, directs the battery-mounted vehicles toperform quick charging at the charging station. Thereby, deteriorationof the in-vehicle battery by the quick charging is prevented usually,and shortage of available vehicles is prevented by permitting the quickcharging when dispatch demand is increased.

Also, the vehicle dispatching system may usually direct thebattery-mounted vehicles to perform normal charging at the chargingstation, and, when a battery-mounted vehicle carrying a user seems notto be able to travel a necessary distance due to the battery shortage,may move the battery-mounted vehicle carrying a user to the chargingstation and direct the battery-mounted vehicle carrying a user toperform quick charging. Thereby, deterioration of the in-vehicle batteryby the quick charging is prevented usually, and occurrence of asituation where the battery-mounted vehicle carrying a user becomesunable to travel due to the battery shortage is prevented by permittingthe quick charging in case of emergency.

A vehicle dispatching method according to the present disclosure is avehicle dispatching method that accepts a dispatch request from a user,selects an autonomous vehicle matching with the dispatch request fromamong a plurality of autonomous vehicles, and dispatches a selectedautonomous vehicle to the user. The vehicle dispatching methodcomprises: preparing, as a part of the plurality of autonomous vehicles,a plurality of battery-mounted vehicles having an in-vehicle batterycapable of being charged externally as an energy source; performingcharging with respect to each of the plurality of battery-mountedvehicles at a charging station when a charging level of the in-vehiclebattery decreases; and changing an upper limit charging level of thein-vehicle battery when charging at the charging station according to atime slot. According to the vehicle dispatching method as above, it ispossible to cope with the ride distance that changes depending on a timeslot, by changing the upper limit charging level of the in-vehiclebattery when charging at the charging station according to the timeslot. Thereby, the vehicle operation rate is raised and the batteryshortage during operation is prevented.

According to the vehicle dispatching method according to the presentdisclosure, the upper limit charging level may be lowered in a time slotthat is predicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users,and may be raised in a time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of long-distance users. By lowering the upper limit charginglevel in the time slot that is predicted to have a large proportion ofshort-distance users, the vehicle operation rate is raised. By raisingthe upper limit charging level in the time slot that is predicted tohave a large proportion of long-distance users, traveling a longdistance becomes possible.

According to the vehicle dispatching method according to the presentdisclosure, the upper limit charging level of a part of the plurality ofbattery-mounted vehicles may be raised in the time slot that ispredicted to have a large proportion of long-distance users. Thereby,even if a long-distance user appears in the time slot that is predictedto have a large proportion of short-distance users, a battery-mountedvehicle charged with a high upper limit charging level can be dispatchedto the long-distance user.

As described above, according to the vehicle dispatching system and thevehicle dispatching method according to the present disclosure, theupper limit charging level of the in-vehicle battery when charging atthe charging station is changed according to a time slot so as tooperate the battery-mounted vehicles with charging level appropriate tothe ride distance that users require. Thereby, the vehicle operationrate is raised and the battery shortage during operation is prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a configuration of a vehicle dispatchingsystem according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a charging plan according to afirst embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relation between a charging level and acharging time;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a charging plan according to asecond embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a view showing an overview of a dispatching plan according tothe second embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing by a management serveraccording to the second embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a view showing an overview of a dispatching plan according toa third embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing by a management serveraccording to the third embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a view showing an overview of a dispatching plan according toa fourth embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing by a management serveraccording to the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating processing by a management serveraccording to a fifth embodiment; and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating processing by a management serveraccording to a sixth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereunder, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described withreference to the drawings. Note that when the numerals of numbers,quantities, amounts, ranges and the like of respective elements arementioned in the embodiments shown as follows, the present disclosure isnot limited to the mentioned numerals unless specially explicitlydescribed otherwise, or unless the disclosure is explicitly specified bythe numerals theoretically. Furthermore, structures that are describedin the embodiments shown as follows are not always indispensable to thedisclosure unless specially explicitly shown otherwise, or unless thedisclosure is explicitly specified by the structures theoretically.

1. First Embodiment

1-1. Configuration of Vehicle Dispatching System

A vehicle dispatching system is a system to implement dispatchingservice of dispatching an autonomous vehicle to a user in accordancewith a demand from the user. FIG. 1 is a view illustrating aconfiguration of the vehicle dispatching system 1 according to theembodiments of the present disclosure. The configuration of the vehicledispatching system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 asfollows. Note that the configuration of the vehicle dispatching system 1described herein is the configuration common to the second to sixthembodiments described below as well as the first embodiment.

The vehicle dispatching system 1 comprises a vehicle 40, a mobileterminal 31 that a user 30 in the vehicle dispatching system 1possesses, and a management center 10 communicating with the vehicle 40and the mobile terminal 31 through a network (i.e., the Internet) 2. Thenumber of vehicles 40 constituting the vehicle dispatching system 1 isat least two. More specifically, at least two vehicles 40 belong to thevehicle dispatching system 1 operably.

The vehicle 40 used in the vehicle dispatching system 1 is abattery-mounted vehicle that has an in-vehicle battery 43 capable ofbeing charged externally as an energy source. There are two kinds ofbattery-mounted vehicles. The one is an electric vehicle that has only abattery 43 as an energy source. The other is a plug-in hybrid vehiclethat has a battery 43 and an energy source other than the battery 43.The vehicle 40 used in the vehicle dispatching system 1 may be either anelectric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The vehicle 40 comprises amotor 44 as a power unit and supplies electric power from the battery 43to the motor 44. A battery charger 45 to charge electric power to thebattery 43 is installed in the vehicle 40. Note that the battery 43 maybe at least a chargeable battery, but it is preferably a lithium ionbattery.

Charging the battery 43 can be conducted at a charging station 50. Thecharging station 50 has a normal charging equipment 51 to perform normalcharging and a quick charging equipment 52 to perform quick charging ofwhich the charging speed is faster than the normal charging. However,the quick charging equipment 52 is not necessarily provided at allcharging stations 50. A battery charger 45 equipped in the vehicle 40supports both charging methods of the normal charging and the quickcharging. However, the normal charging using the normal chargingequipment 51 is usually chosen as a charging method for the vehicle 40from the viewpoint of protection of the battery 43.

The vehicle 40 is an autonomous vehicle that can travel autonomouslythrough a root from the present location to a destination based onvarious information. The various information for autonomous travelincludes external situation recognition information to recognizesituations outside the own vehicle acquired by autonomous sensors (notshown) such as a camera sensor, a LIDAR, a millimeter wave radar and thelike. Also, the various information for autonomous travel includesvehicle state recognition information to recognize conditions of the ownvehicle acquired by vehicle sensors (not shown) such as a vehicle speedsensor, an acceleration sensor and the like. Furthermore, the variousinformation for autonomous travel includes location informationindicating the position of the own vehicle acquired by a GPS receiver(not shown) and map information that is contained in a map database.

The vehicle 40 comprises a control device 41 and a communication device42. The control device 41 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) having atleast one processor and at least one memory. At least one program forautonomous travel and various data are stored in the memory. When aprogram stored in the memory is read out and executed by the processor,various functions for autonomous travel are achieved by the controldevice 41. Note that the control device may comprise a plurality ofECUs.

The control device 41 calculates a travel root along which the ownvehicle travels based on the location information of the own vehicle andthe map information, and controls driving, steering, and braking of theown vehicle to make the own vehicle travel along the calculated travelroute. There are various well-known methods for autonomous travelmethods, and autonomous travel methods themselves are not limited in thepresent disclosure at all, so that the details of autonomous travelmethod will be omitted. The control device 41 performs autonomoustraveling to a getting-on place specified by the user 30, picking upprocessing to pick the user 30 up at the getting-on place, autonomoustraveling to the destination specified by the user 30, droppingprocessing to drop the user 30 off at the destination, autonomoustraveling to the charging station 50, automatic charging at the chargingstation 50 and the like.

The control device 41 is configured to be connected to the network 2using the communication device 42. The communication standard of theradio communication used by the communication device 42 may be astandard of mobile communication such as 4G, LTE, 5G and the like. Thecontrol device 41 is connected to the management center 10 through thenetwork 2. The control device 41 controls operation of the vehicle 40based on decisions based on the information obtained from the autonomoussensors and the vehicle sensors and instructions from the managementcenter 10.

The mobile terminal 31 is a wireless communication terminal that isavailable for radio communication between a base station (not shown) ofthe network 2, for example, a smartphone. The communication standard ofthe radio communication used by the mobile terminal 31 may be a standardof mobile communication such as 4G, LTE, 5G and the like. An applicationfor using the vehicle dispatching service is installed in the mobileterminal 31. By running the application, the mobile terminal 31 connectsto the management center 10 through the network 2, and becomes able torequest the management center 10 to dispatch the vehicle 40.

The management center 10 is a facility run by a company providing thevehicle dispatching service. However, it does not matter whether themanagement center 10 is unmanned or manned. The management center 10 maybe provided with at least a management server 20. Alternatively, themanagement server 20 itself may be the management center 10. Themanagement server 20 is connected to the network 2. The managementserver 20 is configured to communicate with the vehicle 40 and themobile terminal 31 of the user 30 through the network 2.

The management server 20 receives a dispatch request sent through thenetwork 2 from the mobile terminal 31 of the user 30. The dispatchrequest includes, for example, a getting-on place desired by the user 30and ID information of the user 30. The dispatch request includes adestination specified by the user 30 too, but it is not necessarilyessential. The management server 20 receives, for example, the locationinformation and charging amount information of the vehicle 40 from thecontrol device 41 in the vehicle 40. A picking up instruction to directthe vehicle 40 to move to the user 30 is transmitted from the managementserver 20 to the control device 41 in the vehicle 40. The picking upinstruction includes information such as the ID information of the user30, the getting-on place desired by the user 30 and the destinationspecified by the user 30. The ID information is used for personauthentication between the vehicle 40 and the user 30. Also, a charginginstruction to direct the vehicle 40 to move to the charging station 50is transmitted from the management server 20 to the control device 41 inthe vehicle 40. The charge instruction includes information such as thelocation of the charging station 50, the upper limit charging level ofthe battery 43 and the charging method.

The management server 20 is a computer having at least one processor andat least one memory. At least one program for the vehicle dispatchingservice and various data are stored in the memory. When a program storedin the memory is read out and executed by the processor, variousfunctions are achieved by the management server 40. The functionsachieved by the management server 20 include a function as a vehicledispatching planning unit 21 and a function as a charging planning unit22. The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 plans dispatching of thevehicle 40 to the user 30. For example, the vehicle dispatching planningunit 21 dispatches the most suitable vehicle of a plurality of availablevehicles 40, e.g., a vehicle that can arrive at the getting-on placedesired by the user 30 earliest. The charging planning unit 22 changesthe upper limit charging level when the vehicle 40 charges the battery43 at the charging station 50 according to a time slot. Note that themanagement server 20 may comprise a plurality of computers.

1-2. Characteristic Configuration of the First Embodiment

The charging planning unit 22 in the management server 20 instructs thebattery charger 45 in the vehicle 40 on the upper limit charging levelby communication through the network 2. The charging planning unit 22changes the upper limit charging level instructed to the battery charger45 according to a time slot. It is statistically proved that a ridedistance when the user 30 uses the vehicle dispatching service changesaccording to a time slot. Thus, by changing the upper limit charginglevel of the battery 43 when charging at the charging station 50according to a time slot, it becomes passible to cope with the ridedistance that changes depending on the time slot. Thereby, the vehicleoperation rate of the vehicle 40 is raised and the battery shortageduring operation is prevented.

In the first embodiment, the charging planning unit 22 lowers the upperlimit charging level in a time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of short-distance users, and raises the upper limit charginglevel in a time slot that is predicted to have a large proportion oflong-distance users. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper limitcharging level is set low in a daytime time slot where there are manybusiness visitors. By lowering the upper limit charging level in thetime slot that is predicted to have a large proportion of short-distanceusers, the vehicle operation rate is raised. On the other hand, forexample, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper limit charging level is set highin a night and early-morning time slot where there are many returnvisitors before the first train or after the last train. By raising theupper limit charging level in the time slot that is predicted to have alarge proportion of long-distance users, traveling a long distancebecomes possible.

Here, a relation between charging level and a charging time is shown inFIG. 3. The charging level increases in proportion to the charging time.However, according to characteristics of the battery 43, it is necessaryto lower a charging current when charged state of the battery 43 getscloser to full charge. Thus, a charging speed will decrease when thecharging level exceeds a threshold (α in FIG. 3). In the firstembodiment, in the time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of long-distance users, the upper limit charging level is setto a value that is bigger than the threshold α in order to bring thebattery 43 close to full charge and to enable the vehicle travel as longas possible. In the time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of short-distance users, the upper limit charging level isset to a value that is smaller than the threshold α in order to shortenthe charging time and to raise the vehicle operation rate.

The battery 43, particularly a lithium-ion battery has characteristicsthat deterioration becomes large when it is left at high charging level.Therefore, avoiding a condition close to full charge as much as possibleis desirable to prevent deterioration of the battery 43. According tothe first embodiment, the upper limit charging level is changedaccording to a time slot so that the charging level is raised in onlysome time slots and is lowered positively in remaining time slots. Thisprevents deterioration of the battery 43 due to being left at highcharging level.

2. Second Embodiment

The second embodiment is characterized by a charging plan made by thecharging planning unit 22. In the second embodiment, basically as wellas the first embodiment, the upper limit charging level is lowered in atime slot that is predicted to have a large proportion of short-distanceusers, and is raised in a time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of long-distance users. However, in the second embodiment,exceptional setting is made to a part of the vehicles 40.

Specifically, the charging planning unit 22 raises the upper limitcharging level instructed to the battery charger 45 in a part of thevehicles 40 in the time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of short-distance users. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, twokinds of settings A and B are provided. According to the setting A, theupper limit charging level is set low in a daytime time slot, and is sethigh in a night and early-morning time slot. According to the setting B,the upper limit charging level is set high all day. The upper limitcharging level according to the setting A is instructed to a majority ofthe vehicles 40. The upper limit charging level according to the settingB is instructed to a minority of the vehicles 40. Thereby, even if along-distance user appears in the time slot that is predicted to have alarge proportion of short-distance users, the vehicle 40 charged with ahigh upper limit charging level can be dispatched to the long-distanceuser.

In the second embodiment, a dispatching plan to make use of the abovedescribed charging plan is made by the vehicle dispatching planning unit21. FIG. 5 is a view showing an overview of the dispatching planaccording to the second embodiment. In a time slot that is predicted tohave a large proportion of short-distance users, the charging planningunit 22 prepares a vehicle 40A charged with a low upper limit charginglevel and a vehicle 40B charged with a high upper limit charging level.Hereinafter, the vehicle 40A charged with a low upper limit is referredto as “low charging level vehicle 40A”, and the vehicle 40B charged witha high upper limit is referred to as “high charging level vehicle 40B”.In FIG. 5, the low charging level vehicle 40A is a vehicle 40 chargedaccording to the setting A, and the high charging level vehicle 40B is avehicle 40 charged according to the setting B. Note that an area of theoblique line portion of each vehicle 40A, 40B in FIG. 5 expresses thecharging level.

The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 selects a vehicle to bedispatched from among the vehicles 40A, 40B according to the ridedistance that a user 30A, 30B requires in a time slot that is predictedto have a large proportion of short-distance users. In FIG. 5, the user30A is a user 30 requiring a short-distance ride, and the user 30B is auser 30 requiring a long-distance ride. If the dispatch requesttransmitted from the mobile terminal 31 includes a getting-on place anda destination, the ride distance required by the user 30A, 30B isobtained by calculating the distance from the getting-on place to thedestination. Alternatively, a system may be adopted that the user 30A,30B selects an approximate ride distance from among choices whentransmitting the dispatch request.

The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 compares a predeterminedreference distance with the ride distance required by the user 30A, 30B.The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 dispatches the low charginglevel vehicle 40A preferentially to the user 30A who requires a ridedistance shorter than the reference distance, and dispatches the highcharging level vehicle 40B to the user 30B who requires a ride distanceequal to or longer than the reference distance. According to such avehicle dispatching plan, a vehicle is dispatched that matches with botha demand from the company side to want to raise the vehicle operationrate and a demand from the user 30A, 30B side about the ride distance.

Note that the number of low charging level vehicles 40A may beinsufficient with respect to the number of the dispatch requestsrequiring a short-distance ride. In such a case, the vehicle dispatchingplanning unit 21 dispatches the high charging level vehicle 40B to auser requiring a relatively long ride distance. On the contrary, thevehicle dispatching planning unit 21 dispatches the low charging levelvehicle 40A to a user requiring a relatively short-distance ride whenthe number of high charging level vehicles 40B is insufficient withrespect to the number of the dispatch requests requiring a long-distanceride.

If a destination is not always necessary to be designated when makingthe dispatch request, information about a ride distance required by auser may not be obtained from the dispatch request transmitted from themobile terminal 31. The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 dispatchesthe low charging level vehicle 40A to a user 30C of whom the dispatchingrequest is unknown on a ride distance. The probability that along-distance ride is required is low in a time slot that is predictedto have a large proportion of short-distance users. Even if there existsa user who requires a long-distance ride, it may be notified to the userthat charging may become necessary on the way, and the consent may beobtained from the user. According to such a use of the vehicledispatching plan, it is unnecessary to prepare a lot of high charginglevel vehicles 40B, and makes it possible to maintain the vehicleoperation rate highly.

However, when the ride distance that the user 30C requires is unknownfrom the dispatch request, past usage history of the user 30C may beused as the information about the ride distance. By constructing adatabase that connects the usage history with the ID information of theuser 30C in the management server 20, the usage history can be retrievedfrom the database using the ID information. For example, when the user30C has continuously used this service for long-distance movement, thisdispatch request is estimated to be one that requires a long-distanceride. In this case, the high charging level vehicle 40B may bedispatched instead of the low charging level vehicle 40A. When not beingable to get a tendency of the ride distance of the user 30C from theusage history, the low charging level vehicle 40A may be dispatchedaccording to a principle.

The flow of the processing in the management server 20 according to thesecond embodiment can be represented using a flowchart shown in FIG. 6.This flowchart is also a flowchart indicating a vehicle dispatchingmethod according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Accordingto the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, at first, the management server 20determines whether the current time is within a time slot that ispredicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users (step S1).When a determination result of step S1 is affirmative, the managementserver 20 sets the upper limit charging level of large number ofvehicles 40 low and sets the upper limit charging level of remainingvehicles 40 high (step S2). On the other hand, when the determinationresult of step S1 is negative, the management server 20 sets the upperlimit charging level of all the vehicles 40 high (step S3). Next, themanagement server 20 instructs the battery charger 45 in each vehicle 40on the upper limit charging level set in step S2 or step S3 through thenetwork 2 (step S4).

The management server 20 accepts the dispatch request from the user 30(step S5). The management server 20 determines whether the informationabout the ride distance is included in the accepted dispatch request,and determines whether the ride distance that the user 30 requires isshort if the information is included (step S6). When the ride distancethat the user 30 requires is short or when the ride distance is unknown,the management server 20 dispatches the low charging level vehicle 40Ato the user 30 (step S7). On the other hand, when the ride distance thatthe user 30 requires is long, the management server 20 dispatches thehigh charging level vehicle 40B to the user 30 (step S8).

3. Third Embodiment

The third embodiment is characterized by an organization of vehicles 40used for the vehicle dispatching service. In the third embodiment, boththe electric vehicle and the plug-in hybrid vehicle are incorporatedinto the organization, and are selectively used according to situations.The ratio of the number of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehiclesis not limited, but it is preferable that the number of electricvehicles is larger than the number of plug-in hybrid vehicles in termsof the energy cost.

In the third embodiment, a dispatching plan to make use of the abovedescribed organization is made by the vehicle dispatching planning unit21. The charging plan made by charging planning unit 22 is similar tothat of the first embodiment I as for the electric vehicle. That is, theupper limit charging level of the electric vehicle is lowered in a timeslot that is predicted to have a large proportion of short-distanceusers, and is raised in a time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of long-distance users. There is not a particular limitationas for the upper limit charging level of the plug-in hybrid vehicle.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an overview of the dispatching plan accordingto the third embodiment. As vehicles 40 used for the vehicle dispatchingservice, an electric vehicle (EV) 40E and a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV)40P using an engine 46 as a power unit are prepared. In a time slot thatis predicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users, theelectric vehicle 40E is charged with a low upper limit charging levelaccording to the charging plan. On the other hand, the plug-in hybridvehicle 40P is charged with a high upper limit charging level becausepriority is given to a travelable distance. However, the plug-in hybridvehicle 40P may be charged with a low upper limit charging level ifpriority is given to preventing deterioration of the battery 43.

The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 determines which should bedispatched the electric vehicle 40E or the plug-in hybrid vehicle 40Paccording to the ride distance that a user 30A, 30B requires in a timeslot that is predicted to have a large proportion of short-distanceusers. Specifically, the vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 compares apredetermined reference distance with the ride distance required by theuser 30A, 30B. The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 dispatches theelectric vehicle 40E preferentially to the user 30A who requires a ridedistance shorter than the reference distance, and dispatches the plug-inhybrid vehicle 40P to the user 30B who requires a ride distance equal toor longer than the reference distance. According to such a vehicledispatching plan, a vehicle is dispatched that matches with both ademand from the company side to want to suppress the energy cost and ademand from the user 30A, 30B side about the ride distance.

Note that the number of available electric vehicles 40E may beinsufficient with respect to the number of the dispatch requestsrequiring a short-distance ride. In such a case, the vehicle dispatchingplanning unit 21 dispatches the plug-in hybrid vehicle 40P to a userrequiring a relatively long ride distance. On the contrary, the vehicledispatching planning unit 21 dispatches the electric vehicle 40E to auser requiring a relatively short-distance ride when the number ofplug-in hybrid vehicles 40P is insufficient with respect to the numberof the dispatch requests requiring a long-distance ride.

The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 dispatches the electric vehicle40E to a user 30C of whom the dispatching request is unknown on a ridedistance. According to such a use of the vehicle dispatching plan, it isunnecessary to prepare a lot of plug-in hybrid vehicles 40P, and makesit possible to suppress the energy cost.

The flow of the processing in the management server 20 according to thethird embodiment can be represented using a flowchart shown in FIG. 8.According to this flowchart, at first, the management server 20determines whether the current time is within a time slot that ispredicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users (step S11).When a determination result of step S11 is affirmative, the managementserver 20 sets the upper limit charging level of all the electricvehicles 40E low (step S12). On the other hand, when the determinationresult of step S11 is negative, the management server 20 sets the upperlimit charging level of all the electric vehicles 40E high (step S13).The upper limit charging level of the plug-in hybrid vehicle 40P is sethigh irrespective of a time slot. Next, the management server 20instructs the battery charger 45 in each vehicle 40 on the upper limitcharging level set in step S12 or step S13 through the network 2 (stepS14).

The management server 20 accepts the dispatch request from the user 30(step S15). The management server 20 determines whether the informationabout the ride distance is included in the accepted dispatch request,and determines whether the ride distance that the user 30 requires isshort if the information is included (step S16). When the ride distancethat the user 30 requires is short or when the ride distance is unknown,the management server 20 dispatches the electric vehicle 40E to the user30 (step S17). On the other hand, when the ride distance that the user30 requires is long, the management server 20 dispatches the plug-inhybrid vehicle 40P to the user 30 (step S18).

4. Fourth Embodiment

The fourth embodiment is characterized by a charging plan made by thecharging planning unit 22 and an organization of vehicles 40 used forthe vehicle dispatching service. In the fourth embodiment, both theelectric vehicle and the plug-in hybrid vehicle are incorporated intothe organization, and are selectively used according to situations.Furthermore, a charging plan similar to that of the second embodiment isadopted to the electric vehicle in the fourth embodiment. That is, asfor a majority of electric vehicles used for the vehicle dispatchingservice, the upper limit charging level is lowered in a time slot thatis predicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users, and israised in a time slot that is predicted to have a large proportion oflong-distance users. However, as for a minority of electric vehiclesused for the vehicle dispatching service, the upper limit charging levelis raised also in the time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of short-distance users. There is not a particular limitationas for the upper limit charging level of the plug-in hybrid vehicle.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an overview of the dispatching plan accordingto the fourth embodiment. In a time slot that is predicted to have alarge proportion of short-distance users, a low charging level electricvehicle 40EA, a high charging level electric vehicle 40EB and a plug-inhybrid vehicle 40P are prepared. The plug-in hybrid vehicle 40P ischarged with a high upper limit charging level because priority is givento a travelable distance. However, the plug-in hybrid vehicle 40P may becharged with a low upper limit charging level if priority is given topreventing deterioration of the battery 43.

The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 compares a predeterminedreference distance with the ride distance required by the user 30A, 30B.The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 dispatches the low charginglevel electric vehicle 40EA preferentially to the user 30A who requiresa ride distance shorter than the reference distance, and dispatches thehigh charging level electric vehicle 40EB or the plug-in hybrid vehicle40P to the user 30B who requires a ride distance equal to or longer thanthe reference distance. According to such a vehicle dispatching plan, avehicle is dispatched that matches with both a demand from the companyside to want to raise the vehicle operation rate and suppress the energycost and a demand from the user 30A, 30B side about the ride distance.

Which of the high charging level electric vehicle 40EB and the plug-inhybrid vehicle 401′ is dispatched may be determined according to theride distance required by the user 30B, for example. Specifically, thehigh charging level electric vehicle 40EB may be dispatched when theride distance required by the user 30B is equal to or longer than thereference distance and is shorter than a second reference distance.Also, the plug-in hybrid vehicle 40P may be dispatched when the ridedistance required by the user 30B is equal to or longer than the secondreference distance. The second reference distance may be, for example, adistance that can be traveled using the battery 43 of the high charginglevel electric vehicle 40EB. According to such a vehicle dispatchingplan, the electric vehicle 40EA, 40EB is used more preferentially thanthe plug-in hybrid vehicle 40P.

Note that the number of available low charging level electric vehicles40EA may be insufficient with respect to the number of the dispatchrequests requiring a short-distance ride. In such a case, the vehicledispatching planning unit 21 dispatches the high charging level electricvehicle 40EB to a user requiring a relatively long ride distance. Whenthe number of plug-in hybrid vehicles 40P and high charging levelelectric vehicles 40EB is insufficient with respect to the number of thedispatch requests requiring a long-distance ride, the vehicledispatching planning unit 21 dispatches the low charging level electricvehicle 40EA to a user requiring a relatively short-distance ride.

The vehicle dispatching planning unit 21 dispatches the low charginglevel electric vehicle 40EA to a user 30C of whom the dispatchingrequest is unknown on a ride distance. According to such a use of thevehicle dispatching plan, it is unnecessary to prepare a lot of highcharging level electric vehicle 40EB and also a lot of plug-in hybridvehicles 40P, and makes it possible to raise the vehicle operation rateand suppress the energy cost.

The flow of the processing in the management server 20 according to thefourth embodiment can be represented using a flowchart shown in FIG. 10.According to this flowchart, at first, the management server 20determines whether the current time is within a time slot that ispredicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users (step S21).When a determination result of step S21 is affirmative, the managementserver 20 sets the upper limit charging level of large number ofelectric vehicles 40E low and sets the upper limit charging level ofremaining electric vehicles 40E high (step S22). On the other hand, whenthe determination result of step S21 is negative, the management server20 sets the upper limit charging level of all the electric vehicles 40Ehigh (step S23). The upper limit charging level of the plug-in hybridvehicle 40P is set high irrespective of a time slot. Next, themanagement server 20 provides the upper limit charging level set in stepS22 or step S23 to the battery charger 45 in each vehicle 40 through thenetwork 2 (step S24).

The management server 20 accepts the dispatch request from the user 30(step S25). The management server 20 determines whether the informationabout the ride distance is included in the accepted dispatch request,and determines whether the ride distance that the user 30 requires isshort if the information is included (step S26). When the ride distancethat the user 30 requires is short or when the ride distance is unknown,the management server 20 dispatches the low charging level electricvehicle 40EA to the user 30 (step S27). On the other hand, when the ridedistance that the user 30 requires is long, the management server 20dispatches the high charging level electric vehicle 40EB or the plug-inhybrid vehicle 40P to the user 30 (step S28).

5. Fifth Embodiment

The fifth embodiment is characterized by proper use of charging methodsused when the vehicle 40 is charged at the charging station 50. At thecharging station 50, it is possible to perform the normal charging usingthe normal charging equipment 51 and the quick charging using the quickcharging equipment 52. The quick charging requires less charging timethan the normal charging, and thereby the operation rate of the vehicle40 is raised by choosing the quick charging. On the other hand, chargingefficiency of the quick charging is worse than that of the normalcharging, and also the quick charging affects the life of the battery 43adversely. In addition, the quick charging equipment 52 has a higherinstallation cost than the normal charging equipment 51.

In the fifth embodiment, the quick charging and the normal charging areused properly as follows in consideration of merits and demerits asabove. The charging method used when the vehicle 40 is charged at thecharging station 50 is provided to the vehicle 40 from the managementserver 20. The management server 20 usually directs the vehicle 40 toperform the normal charging as the charging method at the chargingstation 50. However, the management server 20 directs the vehicle 40 toperform the quick charging as the charging method at the chargingstation 50 when the number of available vehicles 40 is predicted tobecome insufficient due to increase in dispatch demand. That is, in thefifth embodiment, two charging methods are used properly depending onthe dispatch demand. Thereby, deterioration of the battery 43 by thequick charging is prevented usually, and shortage of available vehicles40 is prevented by permitting the quick charging when the dispatchdemand is increased.

The flow of the processing in the management server 20 according to thefifth embodiment can be represented using a flowchart shown in FIG. 11.According to this flowchart, at first, the management server 20 predictsthe dispatch demand every fixed time from past statistical data, andcalculates the necessary number of vehicles and necessary chargingamount based on the predicted dispatch demand (step S31). Then, themanagement server 20 acquires the number of waiting vehicles 40 andinformation on the charging amount thereof (step S32). And, based on thenecessary number of vehicles, the necessary charging amount, the numberof waiting vehicles and total charging amount, the management server 20chooses the vehicle 40 that should be charged immediately (step S33).

Then, the management server 20 determines whether the vehicle 40 to becharged is in a state rechargeable immediately, more specifically,whether the vehicle 40 is in the charging station 50 equipped with thequick charging equipment 52 (step S34). When the vehicle 40 to becharged is in a rechargeable state, the management server 20 directs thevehicle 40 to perform the quick charging (step S35). When the vehicle 40to be charged is not in a rechargeable state, the management server 20directs the vehicle 40 to move to the charging station 50 equipped withthe quick charging equipment 52 (step S36).

Note that the proper use of charging methods described above can beapplied to the vehicle dispatching system of any one of the first tofourth embodiments. However, when the vehicles 40 used for the vehicledispatching service are organized only with plug-in hybrid vehicles, thequick charging is unnecessary because the plug-in hybrid can travelusing an energy source other than a battery. Also, when the vehicles 40used for the vehicle dispatching service are organized with bothelectric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, the quick charging may beperformed only to the electric vehicle.

6. Sixth Embodiment

The sixth embodiment is characterized by using the quick charging as anemergency charging method. The management server 20 usually directs thevehicle 40 to perform the normal charging as the charging method at thecharging station 50. However, when the vehicle 40 that is carrying auser seems not to be able to travel a necessary distance due to thebattery shortage, the management server 20 moves the vehicle 40 to thecharging station 50 equipped with the quick charging equipment 52 anddirects the vehicle 40 to perform the quick charging. After completionof the quick charging, the management server 20 directs the vehicle 40to resume autonomous traveling to the destination. By proper use ofthese two charging methods, deterioration of the battery 43 by the quickcharging is prevented usually, and occurrence of a situation where thevehicle 40 carrying a user becomes unable to travel due to the batteryshortage is prevented by permitting the quick charging in case ofemergency.

The flow of the processing in the management server 20 according to thesixth embodiment can be represented using a flowchart shown in FIG. 12.According to this flowchart, at first, the management server 20 obtainsinformation about the present location of the vehicle 40, thedestination and the present remaining battery capacity of the vehicle 40(step S41). Then, the management server 20 determines whether thevehicle 40 can arrive at the destination with the present remainingbattery capacity based on the power consumption rate of the vehicle 40(step S42). The power consumption rate of the vehicle 40 may be acatalog value or may be a calculated value obtained from the past powerconsumption amount and the traveling distance. When a determinationresult in step S42 is affirmative, there is no need for charging thevehicle 40, so that the remaining steps S43 to S46 are skipped.

When the determination result in step S42 is negative, performingcharging with respect to the vehicle 40 is required. In this case, themanagement server 20 retrieves the quick charging equipment 52 aroundthe route to the destination, and calculates the necessary chargingamount to arrive at the destination and the time required for chargingthe necessary charging amount (step S43). Then, the management server 20notifies the user 30 on the vehicle 40 that it is necessary to chargethe vehicle 40 and the necessary time for charging, and obtains from theuser 30 approval to drop in at the charging station 50 for charging(step S44). If the approval is obtained from the user 30, the managementserver 20 directs the vehicle 40 to move to the charging station 50equipped with the quick charging equipment 52 (step S45). After thevehicle 40 arrives at the charging station 50, the management server 20instructs the battery charger 45 in the vehicle 40 on the necessarycharging amount, and lets the battery charger 45 start the quickcharging (step S46).

Note that the use of the quick charging in case of emergency describedabove can be applied to the vehicle dispatching system of any one of thefirst to fifth embodiments. However, when the vehicles 40 used for thevehicle dispatching service are organized only with plug-in hybridvehicles, the quick charging is unnecessary because the plug-in hybridcan travel using an energy source other than a battery. Also, when thevehicles 40 used for the vehicle dispatching service are organized withboth electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, the quick chargingmay be performed only to the electric vehicle.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle dispatching system comprising: aprocessor and a memory programmed to: accept a dispatch request from aplurality of users; select an autonomous vehicle matching with thedispatch request from among a plurality of autonomous vehicles, whereinthe plurality of autonomous vehicles include a plurality ofbattery-mounted vehicles having an in-vehicle battery capable of beingcharged externally as an energy source, and wherein the plurality ofbattery-mounted vehicles include (i) electric vehicles having thein-vehicle battery as an only energy source and (ii) plug-in hybridvehicles having the in-vehicle battery and an energy source other thanthe in-vehicle battery, wherein each of the plurality of battery-mountedvehicles performs charging at a charging station when a charging levelof the in-vehicle battery decreases; lower an upper limit charging levelof the in-vehicle battery of the battery-mounted vehicles when chargingat the charging station in a time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of short-distance users; raise the upper limit charging levelof the in-vehicle battery of the battery-mounted vehicles when chargingat the charging station in a time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of long-distance users, dispatch an electric vehiclepreferentially to a short-distance user, and dispatch a plug-in hybridvehicle to a long-distance user, in the time slot that is predicted tohave a large proportion of short-distance users, when ride distanceinformation is included in the dispatch request.
 2. The vehicledispatching system according to claim 1, wherein the processordispatches an electric vehicle in the time slot that is predicted tohave a large proportion of short-distance users, when the ride distanceinformation is not included in the dispatch request.
 3. A vehicledispatching system comprising: a processor and a memory programmed to:accept a dispatch request from a plurality of users; select anautonomous vehicle matching with the dispatch request from among aplurality of autonomous vehicles, wherein the plurality of autonomousvehicles include a plurality of battery-mounted vehicles having anin-vehicle battery capable of being charged externally as an energysource, and wherein the plurality of battery-mounted vehicles include(i) electric vehicles having the in-vehicle battery as an only energysource and (ii) plug-in hybrid vehicles having the in-vehicle batteryand an energy source other than the in-vehicle battery, wherein each ofthe plurality of battery-mounted vehicles performs charging at acharging station when a charging level of the in-vehicle batterydecreases; lower an upper limit charging level of the in-vehicle batteryof the battery-mounted vehicles when charging at the charging station ina time slot that is predicted to have a large proportion ofshort-distance users; raise the upper limit charging level of thein-vehicle battery of the battery-mounted vehicles when charging at thecharging station in a time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of long-distance users; and dispatch an electric vehiclecharged with a low upper limit charging level preferentially to ashort-distance user, and dispatch an electric vehicle charged with ahigh upper limit charging level or a plug-in hybrid vehicle to along-distance user, in the time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of short-distance users, when ride distance information isincluded in the dispatch request.
 4. The vehicle dispatching systemaccording to claim 2, wherein the processor dispatches an electricvehicle charged with a high upper limit charging level preferentially toa long-distance user when a ride distance of the user is shorter than atravelable distance by the in-vehicle battery, and dispatches a plug-inhybrid vehicle to the long-distance user when the ride distance of theuser is longer than the travelable distance by the in-vehicle battery.5. The vehicle dispatching system according to claim 3, wherein theprocessor dispatches an electric vehicle charged with a low upper limitcharging level in the time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of short-distance users, when the ride distance informationis not included in the dispatch request.
 6. A vehicle dispatching methodthat accepts a dispatch request from a user, selects an autonomousvehicle matching with the dispatch request from among a plurality ofautonomous vehicles, and dispatches a selected autonomous vehicle to theuser, the vehicle dispatching method comprising: preparing, as a part ofthe plurality of autonomous vehicles, a plurality of battery-mountedvehicles having an in-vehicle battery capable of being chargedexternally as an energy source, wherein the plurality of battery-mountedvehicles include (i) electric vehicles having the in-vehicle battery asan only energy source and (ii) plug-in hybrid vehicles having thein-vehicle battery and an energy source other than the in-vehiclebattery; performing charging with respect to each of the plurality ofbattery-mounted vehicles at a charging station when a charging level ofthe in-vehicle battery decreases; lowering an upper limit charging levelof the in-vehicle battery of the battery-mounted vehicles when chargingat the charging station in a time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of short-distance users; raising the upper charging level ofthe in-vehicle battery of the battery-mounted vehicles when charging atthe charging station in a time slot that is predicted to have a largeproportion of long-distance users dispatching an electric vehiclepreferentially to a short-distance user, and dispatching a plug-inhybrid vehicle to a long-distance user, in the time slot that ispredicted to have a large proportion of short-distance users, when ridedistance information is included in the dispatch request.